Traditional Indian weddings often mix hot sun with heavy clothing. The heat can be uncomfortable for your guests, so you need to consider all of the ways that you can make everyone more comfortable. If you're worried about everyone being too hot to enjoy themselves at your summer wedding, here are some tips to beat the heat.
Nix Saris and Suits
It's understandable if you want to wear a traditional lehenga in your wedding, but try to compromise when it comes to the attire of your guests. Heavy suits and saris are going to make everyone hot and uncomfortable, which will make it difficult for them to enjoy themselves. Allow a casual dress code so people can wear lighter dress shirts instead of full suits and comfortable, breezy summer dresses. You can encourage the women to wear bright colored dresses to go with the Indian theme, such a bright greens, pinks, yellows, and blues. Incorporating this into your wedding party will work as well. Find light, breezy dresses for your bridesmaids that match any of the colors in your lehenga. You can even choose a different color and style dress for everyone to tie in all of the bright colors in your wedding. Check out sites like gravity-fashion.com for ideas.
Provide Shade
If your wedding venue doesn't offer any protection from the sun, provide as much as you can to keep your guests cool. Look into some outdoor mist cooling systems, parasols, straw hats, and portable gazebos. Have several bottles of sunscreen on hand for your guests. You can set up beautiful wedding tents around the area for your wedding. One option is having a large raj tent to put all of the tables under for the reception. Another option is setting up several raj tents with one table under each tent. Raj tents are perfect for an Indian wedding. They have the perfect look and feel to really tie in the traditional décor. Whether you are in a field or on the beach, raj tents will work for your wedding.
Light Foods
Heavy and oily foods are going to make people feel even worse in the heat. Opt for foods that are cool and filled with natural water. These include fresh fruits and vegetables. Berries and watermelon are both great options for keeping people cool and hydrated. Grilled chicken is great for a hot wedding because it doesn't feel heavy on the stomach, and it's a common food that many people love. Avoid seafood, as it tends to smell and be difficult to eat in the hot sun. However, some cocktail shrimp in an ice chest might help cool off your guests. While many traditional Indian foods are spicy, it's best to skip the hot spices for the wedding.
Cool Drinks & Desserts
Ice cream, sorbet, aam ras, and frozen yogurt will give your guests a treat while cooling them off. If you can, have a portable freezer for the ice cream, and have ice cream sandwiches as well. Fruit pies and light cream pies will stay light in your guests' stomachs, too. For drinks, provide plenty of water, along with lemonade and lassi. If you have an open bar, choose frozen, fruity cocktails. To give your guests a treat, purchase water infuser pitchers. They have spaces in the center to fill with fruit, and then you fill the rest of the pitcher up with water. You can provide your guests with delicious flavored water throughout the wedding. Some infuser ideas include:
- Strawberry & kiwi
- Lemon
- Lemon & lime
- Cucumber
- Raspberry & blackberry
- Mango & pineapple
- Orange & pineapple
Indian weddings are fun and beautiful, but they're also very hot more often than not. Make sure you do whatever you can to keep your guests cool so they can have fun on your big day.
